Kilmore trainer Kate Goodrich ended a frustrating time in her career when veteran sprinter Signor Socks staged a form reversal to win at the Moonee Valley twilight meeting.
It was Goodrich’s first win since Changabang won a maiden on her home track six months ago.
An emotional Goodrich said she had had a torrid time recently due to issues with the Kilmore training track.
“It’s been shocking. It’s been financially hard and psychologically it’s been tough,” Goodrich said.
“We don’t have a turf track to work on.”
Signor Socks was sent out a $51 chance in Sunday’s Noor Elaine Farm Hcp (1200m) after running 10th of 11 to Going Spending over 1009m at Seymour when he resumed last month.
However his rider that day, Craig Robertson, reported to Goodrich he had been playing with his tongue and may have rolled it back.
Armed with that information she changed his gear, putting on a cross-over nose band and taking the nose roll off.
Ridden by apprentice Jacob Rule, the seven-year-old led but was clearly headed by the Peter Moody-trained Ben Zena ($5 equal fav) in the straight.
However Signor Socks showed plenty of heart to fight back and win by a short-neck with Rebel Truce ($5.50) running on strongly to finish a half-length away third.
Goodrich races Signor Socks with her partner, former Collingwood back pocket John Hassall.
Hassall took up track riding some time ago with mixed results.
“I reckon I’ve had more injuries than in footy,” Hassall said.
Signor Socks has won five races and been placed eight times from 35 starts for $166,328 in prizemoney.
It was his first win since scoring at $31 on a heavy track at a Saturday meeting at Sandown in July 2009.
The gelding had been placed in three of nine runs at Moonee Valley, including a second to Group One winner Eagle Falls in August 2009 and is clearly the stable favourite
“He’s probably the oldest horse trained at Kilmore but he’s the soundest,” Goodrich said.
“We nearly lost him 12 months ago. He got really sick and he’s been part of the family so that was really hard.
“But we knew if we could get him right again he was still the horse, there’s no soundness issues with him.”
It was Rule’s third metropolitan winner since he returned a couple of months ago from a few months off.
“It just got too much, but I always planned to come back,” Rule said.
Rule, who is now with Malua Racing’s Flemington-based trainer John Sadler, still claims 2kg in town but can’t ride below 54kg.
AAP TURF
